FamilySearch Wiki:WCAG Required Changes to Wikitext Code

Changes to Wiki Pages

As a result of the European Union requirment to implement changes to all website to improve accessibility, the Research Wiki has gone under massive changes to comply and provide a better experience to those that use accessibility readers.

Contributing to the Wiki

Certain wikitext coding used for articles in the past can no longer be used. Some of these changes include:

• Headings. Wiki pages now require a heading 2 before any free text on a Wiki page. (breadcrumbs and SEO paragraphs do not count).
  • Example: Replace all Heading 3s found as the first heading on a Wiki page.
• Use language template. To signify to a screen reader that the word it is reading is in a different language, a template must be added around each foreign language word.
  • Example: We do not have a template in the Wiki to support this endeavor. For now it is on hold.
• <ul> lists. There is incorrect wikitext code on Wiki pages incorrectly using the <ul> class.
• Update Tables. All tables must be updated to the correct wikitext coding to display the content. These changes include:
  • Wikitable Class. All tables should be changed to wiki wikitable class. Additional guidance can be found on Manual of Style-Tables.
    • Examples: class="wikitable"; class="wikitable sortable"
  • Colors of cells in tables. Colors can enhance the readability of a table. However, the color must have a proper contrast for those with color blindness. Hyperlinks (blue text) must also pass the contrast test in addition to the black text. Use Color picker at W3schools for assistance.
  • Tables given a title. All tables should have a title to help explain the purpose of the table. It can be added to the table using |+ directly below the class of the table.
    • Example: Wikitext of a wikitable
  • Use of color on a table to indicate information. Because of the limitations of a screen reader, color cannot be distinguished to the user. Thus, there is no communication of what the color represents.
    • Example: England Church Records table
  • Identify columns and rows. Additional code must be added to a table to identify to the reader column headings and row headings.
    • Example: Below is a sample of a table with the correct wikitext code for column and row headings:

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Main Characters of Star Trek: The Original Series

|-

! scope="col" | Rating

! scope="col" | Rank

! scope="col" | Name

! scope="col" | Actor

|-

! scope="row" | Captain

| Captain || Kirk, James T || William Shatner

|-

! scope="row" | First Officer

| Commander || Spock || Leonard Nimoy
 
|-

! scope="row" | Chief Medical Officer 

| Lt Commander || Leonard McCoy || DeForest Kelley

|-

! scope="row" | Chief Engineer

| Lt Commander || Montgomery Scott || James Doohan

|}

• Use of indention on a Wiki page. Wiki pages can no longer with a colon to indent on a Wiki page. This also includes indenting a bullet. The use of a indent template is required. For more information go to: Template:Block indent.
  • Example: ** used to indent an asterisk.
  • Example: Proper use of template to indent text:{{Block indent|Clerk of the Senate}}
• Click here or Link. All links in the Wiki must identify where it is going. Do not use "click here" or "Link" as the label of a link.
• Navigation boxes. Although used heavily in the beginning of the Wiki, navigation boxes present difficultly in providing enough space between links to allow ease in clicking on the link. Thus, all navigation boxes will be removed from Wiki pages.
• Broken links. Before a Wiki page is republished with the necessary changes, all external links must be checked to see if they still go to the intended webpage.